skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, February 7, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

January jobs report: Unemployment rate falls to 4%, wages rise more than forecast; Trump signs order imposing sanctions on International Criminal Court over investigations of Israel; Ten Commandments in public schools debate reaches South Dakota; Virginia ranks among worst states for wage theft; Mexican long-nosed bat makes appearance in Arizona.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Attorney General Pam Bondi strikes a Trump tone at the Justice Department, federal workers get more time to consider buyouts, and an unclassified email request from the White House worries CIA vets.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

During Black History Month, a new book shares how a unique partnership built 5,000 schools for Black students, anti-hunger advocates say ag communities would benefit from an expanded SNAP program, and Americans have $90 billion in unpaid medical bills.

NYS budget proposal doesn’t address rural housing needs

play audio
Play

Friday, January 19, 2024   

Gov. Kathy Hochul's 2025 budget proposal is missing key funding priorities for rural housing, according to a coalition advocating for the issue.

The new budget cuts funding for programs to help rural areas address housing needs, including cuts to the Rural Preservation Program used by nonprofits in their communities.

Mike Borges, executive director of the Rural Housing Coalition of New York, feels it is a step backward, compared to last year's more ambitious budget. He described the types of funding needed to help rural homeowners.

"What we need is capacity-building funding," Borges explained. "That funding that goes to nonprofit housing organizations so they have the capacity to do the work that's needed in their communities. We need money for infrastructure. Rural communities lack water and sewer, a lot of them do."

He added rural areas' lack of this infrastructure is often a barrier to developing more housing. Borges emphasized he is hopeful as the budget process continues, the Legislature will reverse the cuts suggested by Hochul. A Marist Poll found 31% of rural New Yorkers want state government to increase funding for developing new homes.

Outside factors have also been to blame for the lack of housing being built in rural New York. In particular, high construction costs during the pandemic prevented developers from breaking ground on rural projects, and Borges noted the disinvestment is translating into an exodus from rural communities.

"They see the housing stock declining. They see the population declining. I think that kind of goes hand in hand," Borges observed. "If people don't have someplace to live, they're going to move and relocate elsewhere."

A Rural Housing Coalition of New York report showed rural counties have seen 50,000 people leave in the last decade. And a 2021 New York State Comptroller report showed 10 rural counties had 5,500 fewer housing units than they did in 2016.

Disclosure: The Rural Housing Coalition of New York contributes to our fund for reporting on Housing/Homelessness Issues. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
Opponents of a South Dakota bill that would require the Ten Commandments be posted in all public school classrooms say it would be an unfunded mandate. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

A South Dakota House committee takes up a controversial bill today that would require all school districts in the state to display the Ten Commandment…


play sound

Virginia ranks third behind only Maryland and Delaware among the worst states for the average amount of back wages companies owe to their workers…

Environment

play sound

Some North Dakota school districts are part of a movement that has embraced electric school buses, but the federal funding shakeup carried out by the …


Florida immigrant advocacy groups are intensifying efforts to help undocumented individuals navigate encounters with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. (David Peinado/Pexels)

Social Issues

play sound

Immigrant advocates in Florida are ramping up efforts to help families navigate President Donald Trump's new immigration orders, which have increased …

Social Issues

play sound

The rate of U.S. high school seniors seeking higher education is on the upswing, according to research from Lumina Foundation. Although Hoosier …

Gov. Kathy Hochul's free community college proposal would apply to people pursuing first-time associate degrees for jobs in high-demand fields, including nursing, teaching, technology and engineering. (Adobe Stock)

play sound

New York State is making historic higher education investments. As part of the 2026 budget proposal, Gov. Kathy Hochul proposes free community …

Social Issues

play sound

Gov. Josh Shapiro's proposed state budget includes a significant increase for public education to address Pennsylvania's school funding issues and …

Social Issues

play sound

Alabama nonprofits are coming together to tackle challenges that may threaten their survival, from declining donor support to shifting federal …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021